What emerged from last week’s nearly two hour APWU meeting—featuring remarks from President Mark Dimondstein and other top union officials—is that the tentative agreement is not, in any meaningful sense, a “contract” at all. Union officials admitted that none of the language in the document has been finalized with the Postal Service. Instead, workers are being asked to vote on a proposal drafted by the APWU and presented as if it were final—despite being subject to change at any time after ratification.
In other words, there is no contract, and what workers are being asked to vote on is a fraud. As Director of Industrial Relations Charlie Cash bluntly admitted during the meeting, “This is a tentative agreement. This is what we have done unilaterally without having any meetings with the Postal Service … So it is subject to change.” There is no indication that this disclaimer will even be included with the ballots, which are being mailed with only a QR code linking to the agreement online, rather than a printed copy.
